SAL Community Services (SAL), home to Skip-a-Long Childhood Centers, is the Quad Cities area’s leading provider of early childhood care and education and now includes the Prevention Initiative (PI) program. We provide a safe, secure and supportive environment centered on how playing can charge the mind of the children we care for.

SAL is seeking a Mental Health Specialist to provide early childhood mental health support to Prevention Initiative staff, children, and families. This means you’ll do things like:

• Conduct general classroom and in-home observations to provide consultation, coaching and child development information related to social emotional development and mental health.
• Provide guidance to staff on selecting, implementing, and interpreting social emotional screening and assessment tools and findings.
• Provide models for socially and emotionally appropriate activities and effective ways to work with and support children.
• Provide written and oral observations and strengths-based feedback to classrooms.
• Meet with staff to review classroom observations to develop and implement plans as needed.
• Support, coordinate, and provide staff trainings related to social emotional and mental health issues.
• Coordinate and facilitate all mental health parent trainings.
• Meet with families to consult on child and family needs and create or follow-up on plans to support those needs.
• Conduct individual child screenings, assessments, and referrals to community supports as needed for children and their families.
• Conduct home visits to support the mental health needs of families and children to provide guidance, model developmentally appropriate activities for children and effective ways to work with and support young children.
• Assist in training program personnel in treatment protocols, methods of engagement, assessment, and referral, intervention strategies, and screenings to ensure quality mental health service delivery.
• Engage in intervention plans for both classroom with teachers and in-home needs with family members, including the development and implementation of safety plans.
• Create and support intervention plans for children identified with delays in learning or at risk of delays in learning.
• Create and utilize an Individual Family Plan in collaboration with the Family Educator and program supervisor.

We are looking for team members who:

• Share a love for children and a passion for helping them learn, grow, and thrive;
• Enjoy following a routine, and welcome the in-the-moment changes that come with each day in childcare;
• Believe that early childhood education is the first step to a child’s successful future;
• Are passionate about building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for all, and,
• Are professional, kind, and don’t take themselves too seriously!

Salary, benefits and perks

In addition to the compensation listed above, our entire compensation package includes a comprehensive benefits package including paid time off and paid holidays; health, dental, and vision benefits; 401(k) with employer contribution; pet insurance; and tuition and education reimbursement. A full list of benefits is available on our website.

Qualifications:

Must obtain background clearances, be able to complete physical tasks such as sit, stand, lift 10 pounds, have at least three years of experience, and have a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, or related field. Additional detail will be provided prior to an interview. Requests for reasonable accommodation as required under applicable law will be considered.